As I welcome you to the Weekend Read, this is in many ways the beginning of a new term, as it were, notwithstanding my words last weekend which gently eased us into 2026. After all these years, and there have been rather a lot of years, I remain passionate about launching new products, writing about compounds that supersede all else and keeping us ahead of the curve with innovative and ground-breaking formulations.

In many ways, each Weekend Read is a conversation, an ongoing conversation where we talk about the things that are important to us, together with the products which support our health and wellbeing. We are often led by the conversations between us, because it is these conversations that help determine direction and purpose, allowing us to support you as best we can, and through all of this, we stay real, we stay committed and we stay safe.

I am going to begin by taking your lead, because after I wrote about menopause towards the end of last year, we received many emails about post-menopausal years and such was your response, Shabir has written a dedicated article where he talks about menopause and longevity. I think it’s interesting to note the evidenced research which suggests that every increasing year of age at menopause is associated with a 2% reduction in age-adjusted mortality, but I think it is also important to say that natural supplementation, such as Sage Complex, can be extraordinarily effective through the post-menopausal years, and in fact we recommend it.

So, let’s talk about hormones because every hormonal gland communicates with each other, using hormones as chemical messengers. Declining oestrogen and progesterone levels have an impact on the health of our adrenals, thyroid, pancreas and all other hormonal glands and this same reduction also has an impact on all other bodily systems. Given that ovaries age at twice the rate of any other organ in the body, this fast ageing causes hormonal fluctuations responsible for the symptoms of perimenopause, but it is the change that occurs after this phase which is more concerning as menopause speeds up biological cellular ageing.

Of course, menopause is every woman’s rite of passage, but it is important to understand the changes in our bodies, essentially because as oestrogen levels go down, immune cells cannot function optimally leading to low level inflammation, called inflammageing. Inflammation is a key factor in increasing the risk factors for heart disease, arthritis, mood changes, fatigue and joint pain, each of which are interconnected with hormonal decline.

Above all else, there is so much nonsense written about the menopausal years, with little evidence to support some of the most outrageous claims, so we stay with the facts and we stay with awareness, not to prey on emotional vulnerability, but to offer solutions for our long-term health and wellbeing. As such, I am not only linking Shabir’s article on menopause and longevity, but I am also linking his article on inflammageing because I think it’s important, and with each of the five products recommended in both articles linked below, we are offering a 15% discount on each of those products, with this offer ending midnight GMT, Sunday 11 January.
VH Editorials: Menopause And Longevity; Inflammageing; DoSe Sage Complex; Bone Restore Calcium Supplement With Vitamin K2 by Life Extension; DoSe Mega Probio; DoSe Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex; Cytokine Suppress With EGCG by Life Extension

Well, that was a pretty comprehensive spread of supplements and of course each of the supplements recommended offer solutions to many health concerns, and I’ll use Turmeric Curcumin C3 Complex as an example. It is well established that Curcumin has remarkable antioxidant and cell protective properties, it is a polyphenol present in the spice Turmeric, but of course we can only ever cite the health benefits of any given compound if that specific compound has been the subject of researched clinical trials and evaluations.

It disturbs me that there is so little understanding, or indeed acknowledgement, of clinically evaluated compounds in supplementation, mostly because specific health benefits are not generic to each and every formulation and most certainly not all supplements are created equally. But it’s more than that, because the lack of transparency in the marketing and reporting of supplementation is far-reaching, not only in terms of diluted efficacy, but in terms of expectation and I think that is wrong, if not misleading.

With that said, the most important factor in choosing an effective Curcumin supplement is bioavailability as well as absorption and Curcumin C3 Complex is a premium and patented form of Curcumin, which has been the subject of numerous clinical trials. As such it has the highest absorption of any Curcumin currently available and with a 95% absorption of curcuminoids, the absorption of this supplement is further enhanced by the addition of BioPerine®, a patented black pepper extract, which improves the absorption and bioavailability of all nutrients.
VH Editorial: Turmeric: The Spice With Health Benefits; DoSe Turmeric C3 Complex

Staying with BioPerine®, I will never forget launching Hyaluronic Acid Capsules with BioPerine®. HA was, and still is, our bestselling supplement, but the addition of BioPerine® supercharged the formulation, improving the absorption and bioavailability of Hyaluronic Acid, which we felt was so important for optimal efficacy. That’s all I want to say really, I know the difference it makes, I know that the formulation is cutting-edge, and I also know that most of us take it, so with that acknowledged with every Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength 30 capsules added to your basket, we will automatically send 45 capsules instead.  This is 15 capsules free, which is worth £17.50.
VH Editorial: Benefits Of Hyaluronic Acid Supplements; DoSe Hyaluronic Acid Capsules High Strength £35 for 45 Capsules (15 Capsules Free) (worth £17.50) (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 11 January)

Onwards, and with a smile on my face, I shall start counting the number of times I write about HA in 2026, but actually I have been writing about HA for over twenty-five years, so Collagen Tripeptide Complex has a lot of catching up to do, which probably means that I would have to write about it every week for the next five years. I’m not going to do that, but what I am going to do is thank you for making the launch of Collagen Tripeptide Complex so incredibly special.

It was the only DoSe supplement we launched last year, it was the only supplement we wanted to launch, primarily because we had the clinical evidence which supported the efficacy of collagen tripeptides over and above all other forms of collagen, including collagen peptides. That really meant something, and I absolutely promise you this is not about market share because in full transparency we can’t compete, but what we can do is take comfort from your trust, support and loyalty and in and of that recognition when you buy Collagen Tripeptide Complex we will send you forty days’ supply for the same price as thirty days. Acknowledgement matters. It always has.
DoSe Collagen Tripeptide Complex £45 for 40 Day Supply (offer ends at midnight GMT, Sunday 11 January)

Let’s talk about B-vitamins. The market is flooded with B-vitamins, so let’s take a step back and discuss why B-vitamins are important and I will begin by saying that B-vitamins play numerous roles in bodily processes and they display multiple health benefits for the nervous system, energy production and brain health. B-vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins, which means that they are readily excreted from the body and need replenishing daily.

Shabir believes that the importance of B-vitamins is under-rated and I agree with him because B-vitamins are important and each of the eight B-vitamins have their own critical role, which Shabir sets out in his article, linked below. Taking an in-depth look at B-Vitamins, we recommend Life Extension’s Bioactive Complete B-Complex which offers the complete spectrum of high absorbable B-vitamins which is gluten-free and also suitable for vegetarians. If you are vegan, please read Shabir’s advice referenced in his article.
VH Editorial: The Health Benefits Of Taking B-Vitamins Daily; Bioactive Complete B-Complex by Life Extension £12 for 60 Capsules

Moving away from supplementation, the criteria for introducing new products into the DoSe skincare range aligns with supplementation, in that each and every product carrying the DoSe branding must be an advancement on all that has gone before, DoSe or otherwise, so some words here about Ergothioneine Hand Cream. I’m not sure that I will ever get over the fact that we were not allowed to call it ‘Ergothioneine Hand Treatment’ because it is a treatment product and I know regulations are in place to protect our safety, but seriously, it is a stupid and nonsensical regulation, in a whole long line of nonsensical regulations.

So, I’m on one, but I will just leave it there because I want to take a moment to talk about the formulation, beginning with Ergothioneine which has antioxidant properties, protecting against oxidative stress and pollution. Formulating a hand treatment with Ergothioneine was a given, it is an exceptional compound, but it wasn’t only about Ergothioneine, it was also about Alpha Arbutin, a natural skin brightener that helps to target uneven skin tone and pigmentation issues, such as age spots.

Ergothioneine Hand Cream also includes Vitamin F Forte, which is rich in essential fatty acids and helps to nourish dry skin, but throwing the focus on Alpha Arbutin, I am linking Shabir’s article below where he takes an in-depth look at this remarkable active ingredient, and it is remarkable. So, with the focus on Alpha Arbutin, I am dropping the price of Ergothioneine Hand Cream from £20 to £17 and I’m also dropping the price of Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum from £18 to £15, across the weekend.
VH Editorial: Alpha Arbutin For Uneven Skin Tone; DoSe Ergothioneine Hand Cream £17 for 75 ml; DoSe Alpha Arbutin 2% and Kojic Acid 1% Serum £15 for 30 ml (offers end at midnight GMT, Sunday 11 January)

Before we move on, I think it is important to say that with both Ergothioneine Hand Cream and Alpha Arbutin Serum are treatment products and treating any skin concern takes time, but the same is true of supplementation and with that said, we are going to move on and I’m moving on with Soapsmith. In many ways this is a celebration of Soapsmith, I love the brand, I love the products and I adore their Mini Soap Collection, so in a limited edition offer, and it really is limited, when you spend £15 or above on any of the Soapsmith products, we will automatically send you their fabulous Bergenhus Soap (120 grams), which is worth £10. One gift per customer here, whilst stock last. 
Soapsmith Products

On a roll, this time with Ameliorate, so when you spend £15 or above on any of the Ameliorate products, we will automatically send you their Transforming Exfoliating Body Mitt, which is worth £10. The Transforming Exfoliating Body Mitt has been developed to be used on dry, dehydrated, rough or bumpy skin, as well as for Keratosis Pilaris and ingrown hairs. Once again, there is only one gift per customer in order to be equitable and is ongoing, well ongoing until we run out of gifts and I’m not sure when that will be. Whilst stock last. 
Ameliorate Products

And rolling into the Saturday only treat, with every order placed for £35 and above, we will automatically include Lixirskin’s Universal Emulsion (30 ml)*. Universal Emulsion is an all-in-one moisturiser, night cream and serum and with full product details listed below, we are nearly, but not quite at the end of this Weekend Read. 
Universal Emulsion

As we close, a song for January. Released as a single on 14 December 2010, January Hymn is a song by The Decemberists, which was written by frontman, Colin Meloy, and inspired by the first January he spent with his family in their new home, a rural location north of Portland, Oregon. A reflection.
January Hymn by The Decemberists; The VH Playlist

All that is left is for me to wish you a wonderful weekend.

Stay warm.

With love

Gill x